1. Field of the Disclosure
The technology of the disclosure relates to enclosures for fiber optic components and/or equipment, such as multi-port optical connection terminals as an example.
2. Technical Background
Optical fiber is increasingly being used for a variety of broadband applications including voice, video, and data transmissions. As a result of the ever-increasing demand for broadband communications, fiber optic networks typically include a large number of mid-span access locations at which one or more optical fibers are branched from a distribution cable. These mid-span access locations provide a branch point from the distribution cable leading to an end user, commonly referred to as a subscriber, and thus, may be used to extend an “all optical” communications network closer to the subscriber. In this regard, fiber optic networks are being developed that deliver “fiber-to-the-premises” (FTTP). Due to the geographical spacing between the service provider and the various subscribers served by each mid-span access location, optical connection terminals, such as closures, network terminals, pedestals, and the like, are needed for interconnecting optical fibers of drop cables extending from the subscribers with optical fibers of the distribution cable extending from the service provider to establish the optical connections necessary to complete the FTTP communications network.
To protect fiber optic components and/or equipment from damage due to exposure to the environment, enclosures can be provided to enclose or encase fiber optic components and/or equipment that may be used to establish fiber optic connections in a fiber optic network. For example, a multi-port optical connection terminal is one example of fiber optic equipment that includes an enclosure. A multi-port terminal provides an enclosure to house and protect interconnections of optical fibers from one or more drop fiber optic cables extended in the enclosure at a branch point to fiber optic connectors disposed in the enclosure. Other examples of fiber optic equipment that include enclosures include, but are not limited to, terminals for terminated ends of fiber optic cables, local convergence points (LCP), fiber distribution terminals (FDT), splice closures, fiber interconnection closures, canister-type closures, and network interface device (NID) closures, including those where a hermetic seal may be required. Each of these enclosures can incur impact from various conditions, including installation in outdoor environments, access for configuration and re-configuration, under-earth installations, etc. Thus, it is important that the enclosures be able to withstand certain impact forces to continue to protect fiber optic components and/or equipment contained within the enclosures. Further, because materials used to form the enclosure may respond to impact forces differently at different temperatures, it is important that the enclosures be able to withstand impact forces at varying defined temperatures.